Not So Spectacular
by MrsWhitlock143
Summary: Stavros is fed up with Nikko's irresponsible and disrespectful attitude, on top of the fact that he deliberately went behind his back and lied to him. Basically what would have happened if Nikko hadn't obeyed Stavros in getting off the stage and going home with him and Amy.


**A/N: I never liked that Nikko's name was simply "Nikko Alexander", so his name is going to be Nicholas "Nikko" Alexander Huet (and Stavros Huet), with Alexander as his middle name instead. They're kind of OOC because I can never seem to stay true enough to a character. Sighs. **

Nikko was so enthralled in his rehearsal, he didn't even notice his infuriated older brother standing at the door with his pesky ex-girlfriend. Instead, he focused solely on Courtney and making her happy, falling deeper in love than he would have ever liked to imagine.

Their voices blended harmoniously, the choir's dance moves in flowing synchronization. Nikko was so proud of how far they'd come… The news could hold off for a few more hours, couldn't it? Surely.

He was dancing right along with Courtney, patiently waiting for her to finish her next line in the song, when they were interrupted by a booming voice.

"What in the world are you doing?! This is your job and your study group? No wonder you guys never had any textbooks."

All the Spectacular! members paused, heads turning to look at the intruders. Nikko's expression conveyed nothing but surprise at seeing his older brother there, but he internally cringed once he noticed the angry look on his face. He froze, unconsciously inching slightly towards Courtney, who seemed more confused than anything. Nikko struggled to remain semi-calm when he caught sight of who his older brother was accompanied by -Amy. The witchy ex-girlfriend.

"Stavros, I can explain -" Nikko began, nervous but embarrassed at being scolded in front of everyone. Stavros quickly cut him off.

"You lied to me! And for what, so you could prance around doing this -which -what- what is this?"

"It's called show choir," Tajid began before Nikko could respond. Caspian jumped in after that.

"And it just so happens that Nikko is going to help us dominate at the championship tomorrow night." He claimed bravely, putting an arm around Nikko's shoulders. He saw Courtney from his peripheral vision, seemingly proud and unafraid of the older man.

"Wow, Nikko." Amy began, chuckling once in mockery and disbelief. Nikko's insides were churning frantically, but he tried his best not to give away his feelings. "Is there anyone you haven't lied to? Hate to burst your glitter balls, kids, but Nikko's auditioning for the CEO of Apex Records tomorrow night." Her tone was cold.

"Nikko, is that -is that true?" Mr. Romano ventured, hurt underlying his tone. Nikko felt horrible inside, not even wanting to look his band mates in the eye, especially not Courtney; however, he reluctantly tore his gaze from the ground and towards his teacher, unwilling to not grant him the respect due, at least.

"Yeah. Mr. Dickinson, himself, thinks that Flux is gonna be huge." Amy added, looking pointedly at Courtney; she, in turn, responded bravely.

"Flux? The band you kicked him out of? Nikko would never do anything like -" she paused, looking at him for support. Upon seeing his expression, her face fell. Her voice cracked on the last word. "-that."

Nikko began to move towards Courtney, apologies and explanations catching in his throat. Stavros climbed onto the stage to address his kid brother once more.

"I don't understand. You've dreamed about this your whole life," he began, almost incredulously. "Look, we'll deal with you lying to me and going behind my back later…" Nikko tuned out the rest of his brother's words, barely registering that Stavros had gripped him by the shoulders and was beginning to turn him away from the others.

"Nikko, wait!"

He whirled around immediately, instantly feeling guilty when Robin fell down the steps. He tried to control the fury he felt at Amy's belittling comment about it. Before he could decide what he was going to say next, Stavros broke in.

"Say goodbye to your little friends. " He turned away and walked off the stage, fully expecting his younger brother to follow him. He was only half-shocked, however, when he turned back around only to find the brat still on stage. "Nikko."

Said brother turned around, sucking in a lungful of air to give him resolve. He had never particularly feared his brother, but he felt like it was not a good time to push him; nonetheless, he did it, simply because that's who Nikko is.

"No. Stavros, I'm not going anywhere. I can't, okay -this is my team, these are my friends! I can't just…" He sighed deeply, looking hopeless. "I can't just abandon them when they need me the most."

The auditorium was dead silent as both brothers stared each other down. Amy, for one, felt exhausted, but it was obvious the other teenagers were more than apprehensive about what was going to happen next. They all immediately appreciated their friend's efforts, but the wiser ones realized that there was no way he was going to win this particular battle of wills.

Stavros took a menacing step forward before halting once more, not quite on the steps of the stage. "Nicholas Alexander Huet, I said let's go. I don't want to hear it, you understand me?" He ground out, cursing his little brother for choosing to have a change in attitude in this precise moment. "We will talk about this at home."

Nikko swallowed nervously, shifting around a little when his full name was called out. His face flushed, hating how he was being reprimanded in public. Yet, he kept pushing.

"No, I won't go with you. I'm… I'm staying here." It sounded almost like a question rather than a declaration, even to Nikko's ears. To Courtney, however, it was all she needed to hear -even if Nikko was dragged away in the end.

Stavros bit his bottom lip angrily, nodding his head slowly. "So, you really want to do this the hard way then. Okay. Fine. Embarrassment it is, then, little brother."

Nikko's eyebrows shot up worriedly as he processed his brother's statement. He tried backing away a few steps as Stavros climbed up the stage again, but was snagged by the back of his shirt. Stavros hauled him angrily to his side, barely caring that his brother tripped and nearly fell in the process.

"Stavros, let go of me!" Nikko hollered, trying to break free of his grasp. When had Stavros gotten so strong? "Stav!"

The man paused momentarily, surprised at hearing the shortened version of his name coming from Nikko's mouth; that hadn't happened since his brother was around eleven. He shook it off quickly, not allowing Nikko to gain the upper hand, and continued to drag him off the stage. The members of Spectacular! watched, unable to tear away their gaze, as their fearless leader was dominated like a child.

"You can't do this; stop!" Nikko screeched, digging his heels into the ground. Stavros resisted the urge to swat his ward in front of the others, though he was sorely tempted to. Quickly changing his grip from Nikko's shirt to his ear, he was able to subdue the younger man a little. He twisted slightly, causing the boy to yelp. Stavros did not utter a sound as he yanked on his little brother's ear and, finally, dragged him away from the auditorium.

~~~0~~~

"I'll see if I can have him swing by later, Amy. I'm sorry." Stavros apologized before making his way up to the apartment, still hanging on to Nikko's ear. It had become tinged a light red from all the twisting and tugging, but it probably didn't feel any different -his brother had never been an easy child, after all.

The moment the door slammed shut behind them, Stavros released his brother. Nikko, in turn, massaged his ear carefully, unconsciously stepping away from the man. He refused to even glance up at him, unsure which of his swirling emotions he'd accidentally present to his older brother -anger, humiliation, hurt.

After a few beats of silence, he whispered, "I can't believe you did that to me."

Wrong thing to say.

Stavros crossed the distance between them in a couple of steps, controlled rage plastered onto his features. He grabbed his brother's bicep and, turning him sideways, landed a handful of swats to his backside.

"Ow! Stav, stop! Ouch!"

Stavros pulled his little brother back around to face him, but he maintained the grip on his arm. He shook his head in disbelief. "How could _I _do this to _you_, Nicholas? No, how could _you _do this to _me? _You lied to me, disobeyed me, you went behind my back, disrespected me -I think I have every right to react this way. What excuse do you have for your behavior, huh?"

When Nikko failed to answer, Stavros gave him a little shake to recapture his attention. The look he gave him clearly read, "I'm waiting for a response, young man."

Nikko glanced back down at the floor, rebellious attitude one-hundred percent depleted, and mumbled dejectedly. "I'm sorry, Stav. I just…" He sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well," Stavros began, a falsely pleasant smile on his face, as he led his young charge to the couch. "Lucky for you, I've got all the time in the world. The real issue now is: are you going to willingly speak to my face or to the ground?"

Nikko knew exactly what Stavros meant by that confusing statement. If they were going to talk, Nikko was expected to look his brother in the eye. The minute his gaze strays to the floor, he'll be sure to find himself upended over his guardian's knee, with no choice but to speak to the ground. Nikko hated that method more than anything else.

He forced himself to look into his brother's eyes as he was deposited next to him on the sofa. His brother gestured for him to begin his supposedly long story.

So he did. He told his big brother everything.

He told him about how he got kicked out of Flux. He told him about Courtney's offer to join Spectacular! in exchange for half the prize money if they won. He told him about his initial audition with Dickinson. He told him about his rehearsals with Spectacular! He told him about the lies he'd spewed so Stavros wouldn't get mad at him for joining another music group. He told him how he made great friends and fell in love and how he was the happiest he'd been in a long time. He told him how he was sorry and how he wouldn't take any of it back.

By the end of Nikko's recounting, Stavros was more subdued. Despite his irritation, he felt proud of his brother. He had to make sure to let him know both of his emotions.

Placing a hand on Nikko's knee, Stavros encouraged him to look back up at him. "Nikko," Stavros sounded exhausted already. "Listen, buddy. I want you to know that I'm really proud of you for standing up for what you believe in, okay? I'm proud of you for growing so much as a person within these short months." His little brother smiled shyly at him but he continued. "The downside, however, is that I'm disappointed in how you chose to go about things. You lied to me, and initially to your friends but they've appeared to have forgiven you. I understand that you were afraid I'd be angry at you for joining Spectacular!, but you have to know that I wouldn't have done anything more than what I'd been doing when you were in Flux. It made me feel like a horrible older brother when Amy had to come tell me what you'd been up to."

Nikko ducked his head, averting his gaze once more. He felt a finger on his chin, tipping his head up, but he refused to meet his eyes again. Stavros sighed, ready to carry out his threat. "Nicholas, look at me." Summoning a touch of rebellion was, ironically, the only way Nikko was able to look at his brother, but Stavros didn't need to know that.

"I think it's my turn to apologize, little brother." Stavros ignored the younger man's perplexed look and continued before he could respond. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you today and for not hearing you out from the start. I know I've never exactly been supportive of your dreams but I'm trying to make up for that now…" He sighed. "No excuses. You have a new dream and I'll… I'm gonna support you all the way, bro."

Nikko's eyes filled with tears and he surged forward, pulling his big brother into a bone-crushing hug, for the first time unashamed. "Thank you, Stav…"

"Sh, sh. Don't."

After a few long moments, the brothers pulled apart. Stavros sighed softly, hating what he was going to do next. "Nikko, we still need to discuss what you did wrong over these last couple of months."

Nikko tensed. He knew exactly what Stavros meant by "discuss" and he didn't like it one bit. It hadn't happened since he was around eleven or twelve -he was seventeen now, dammit! He couldn't let this happen…

"Stav…" He began innocently, looking up at his big brother with large, doe eyes, deciding to go with the nice approach first. "Can't we do this another way?"

"Not really, Nikko." Stavros responded seriously. "I think this will be the most effective punishment -"

"But I'm too old for that, Stavros!" Nikko protested, his voice escalating in volume. He rose from the sofa in an angry movement only to be hauled back down. "Let me go."

"Nicholas Alexander, calm yourself this instant."

Stavros' irritatingly calm voice irritated Nikko further, but he didn't show it. He knew he was only going to make things worse if he continued on this way. The boy was distracted, lost in his own thoughts, so Stavros took advantage of it. He grabbed Nikko by the wrist and yanked him over his lap in one quick motion.

"Stav, no!"

Stavros wrapped his arm tightly around his little brother's waist, holding him down tightly as he began struggling to get up. While Nikko raged on to escape, Stavros took advantage of the movements to reach under Nikko and undo his jeans. He yanked them down to his knees, noticing immediately how the struggles of the child over his lap renewed with much more vigor. Steeling his heart, he raised his hand high and brought it down on his brother's vulnerable backside, hard.

Nikko gasped and immediately stilled when he felt the first swat. He bit back a whimper, imagining the worst of the spanking, considering only one swat was already causing a sting.

A second swat landed, then a third. Nikko held his breath through them, trying to make as little noise possible. He decided he wouldn't give his brother the satisfaction of knowing he was successfully hurting him.

By the twentieth swat, Nikko was struggling not to squirm. Little sounds of protest began to escape his lips by the thirtieth, and by the time they were nearing forty, he felt he couldn't take anymore.

"Stavros… Stav, please stop. I'm sorry!" He yelped when a particularly harsh smack landed on his sensitive behind. "Ouch!"

"Why are you being punished, young man?" Stavros questioned firmly, not once ceasing the spanking, but slowing down considerably. The force behind his swats remained the same, so to Nikko, it was like if nothing had changed.

"I… b-b-because… I lied to you a-and disobeyed you…"

"Why else?"

"I…" He shook his head, unable to prevent the tears that spilled over. "B-because I disrespected you earlier."

Stavros nodded, though Nikko couldn't see him. "Good, Nikko. I just wanted to be clear that I'm not punishing you for wanting to be part of Spectacular! but rather because of your deceitfulness. You understand that, don't you?"

"Yessir." He sniffled. When the hard smacks continued to rain down on his innocent backside, Nikko jumped slightly, about to throw an arm back to protect himself. Just then, he felt ten of the harshest swats yet land on his sit-spots. This time, he really howled, forgetting all about his plan to launch his arm back there, and fell limp over his brother's knees. He sobbed profusely.

Stavros lifted his little brother up to sit in his lap, mindful of his sore bottom, and hugged him tightly to his chest. Nikko clung to his older brother seemingly for dear life, making sure to soak the collar of his shirt with hot tears. Stavros ran a hand through Nikko's hair, down his back, and back up as he attempted to soothe the crying child. He hated seeing him like this, especially when he knew he's the one that put the tears in those beautiful eyes.

"Sh, Nikko… Stop your fussing, you'll make yourself sick, buddy." He added after a while of Nikko's continuous bawling. He was really starting to get concerned now. "Nikko?"

The young man in question sniffled, trying to reign in the sobs racking his body as best as he could. He was crying, not only for the pain in his rear, but also for everything that led up to it. He cried for how badly he'd been to his brother, and he cried for how bad his brother had been to him in some ways. But Nikko realized that everything had changed, was still changing, and was going to continue doing so; and finally, that was something he looked forward to.

He glanced up at Stavros, tears almost completely under control, and hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry, big brother. I won't ever lie to you again."

Stavros chuckled, wrapping his arms firmly around his brother's waist. He placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You're still a kid, Nikko. Of course you'll lie to me again. But I'll thank you in advance because I know you'll try not to, yeah?"

Nikko said nothing but nodded, knowing Stav was probably right. So long as he had his brother's support and forgiveness as of now, Nikko knew he was going to be alright.

After another couple of moments, Stavros rose, bringing Nikko up with him. He squeezed him once more before taking a step back. He placed his hands on Nikko's shoulders, making him look him in the eyes.

"Pull up your pants and, if you want, you can go back to your rehearsal with Spectacular! Okay?"

Nikko hesitated, unsure if he'd be able to dance properly with the ache in his rear, but decided to try against his better judgment. He owed it to Courtney and his friends to be there whenever he could, and since Stavros was giving him the opportunity, he had to take it. So, he nodded as he yanked his jeans back up, hissing when the rough material scraped his tender skin. Stavros looked almost guilty but he didn't say anything as he wrapped an arm around Nikko's shoulders and steered him out the door of their apartment. He was a bit disappointed that his little brother was going to blow off the audition tomorrow night, but it was his choice to make. If Nikko was happy performing with his new group, then so be it.

Whatever made his little brother happy, made Stavros happy.


End file.
